Page 6 of Saved By the Pitcher

The lady nodded with uncertainty, and the young couple by her side were looking at him like he was the one who just announced he was in danger of soiling his clothes.

“Well, maybe the show will help you forget your troubles,” the woman said after everyone was silent for a few moments.

Mike glanced at the three patrons, all who had been looking like frightened deer since his outburst. “Look, I’m sorry.” He locked eyes with the young man. “If you still want, I’ll take a selfie with you. With all of you. Let’s just wait until after the show, okay? Maybe somewhere that doesn’t draw attention. Once you start with a selfie for one person, then everyone wants one.”

The young woman of the group mumbled, “I doubt it. People might be thinking you’re a jerk now.”

The older lady rebuked her. “Nadia! He apologized. Be nice.” She then turned back to Mike and smiled. “It is okay. It must be tiring having people approach you everywhere you go. I keep telling my boy that he had better be careful what he hopes for. This show is already making him famous enough that people are asking him for selfies!”

“Your boy? Your son is in this show?” Mike asked, somewhat surprised by the coincidence of sitting next to one of the cast’s family members.

“Not my son. But I helped raise him when he was growing up,” she explained. Then she nodded her head in the direction of the young man by her side. “And that one, too. Billy.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Mike managed. He looked to Billy and the girl beside him and added, “I need to work on my patience. It wasn’t you that caused me to lose my temper.”

The elderly lady nodded with a knowing expression. “You’re stressed by the woman you’re with.”

“Excuse me?” Mike gaped.

“She might be a nice girl, but she’s not the one for you,” the woman responded. “I have a nose for these things. Your chemistry is off. I could see it right away by the way you look at her.”

“Maria!” Billy warned. He turned to Mike. “Sorry about that. Maria thinks she has mystical powers when it comes to matchmaking.” He then narrowed his eyes at Maria. “And she sometimes forgets that most people don’t believe in that stuff.”

Mike was still astounded, but also amused. Maybe this Maria woman did have a gift. He leaned over to her with a conspiratorial look. “I’m nervous because I was planning to break up with her later.” Once the words were out, he almost couldn’t believe he had volunteered something so personal to this stranger, but she seemed harmless and he pitied her when she appeared dejected by Billy’s reprimand.

Maria’s expression became victorious. “Ah, see! The good Lord has blessed me with this gift.”

The corner of Billy’s lips lifted. “Well, maybe he has. Maria told me right off that Nadia was the one for me.” Billy turned his head toward Nadia and smiled. “And she was right.”

“So, you are Maria, Billy and Nadia,” Mike concluded, looking to each. “Nice to meet you.”

Nadia’s stern expression hadn’t softened. “So, why are you taking this woman to the theater if you’re going to break up with her later? That seems douchey.”

“Nadia!” Billy chastised.

Mike shook his head, wondering if he should tell her to mind her own business. “Um, we had the tickets before I concluded that I just couldn’t do this anymore. I didn’t want to make her miss the play, too. She has been looking forward to it.”

“Musical,” Nadia corrected, still eyeing him with skepticism. “It’s not a play. It’s a musical.”

“Right,” Mike muttered.

“My brother is the star,” Billy beamed.

“The star?” Mike gasped. He assumed that Maria had been alluding to a cast member who would be on stage for a heartbeat. He wondered if the brother was the attractive man from the ad. “The good-looking, dirty-blond guy you see on the advertisements and the theater posters?”

Billy smiled and nodded. “Yup. That’s him. He’s awesome. You’re going to be bowled away. There’s buzz he could win this year’s Tony for best actor in a musical.”

Mike grinned. “Wow. That’s great. I’m looking forward to his performance. You must be proud.”

Their three heads nodded with acknowledgment, then Billy’s eyes widened. “Hey, we were going backstage after the show. You can join us and meet him. He’s a fan of yours, too. Maybe we can take selfies there, since it’s private,” he suggested. “You wouldn’t have to worry about attracting a crowd.”

Mike imagined he’d stepped into a tornado. He was used to people being forward with celebrities, but this group took it to another level. “Um…”

“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea, puppy,” Maria chimed in. “Yes, James used to have your poster on his bedroom wall. He would be happy to see you, though he may not recognize you with a shirt on.”

“What?” Mike gulped.

Billy laughed. “Maria used to check out that poster of you shirtless every time she cleaned James’ room, didn’t you, Maria?”